Labeling machine



Mamh 1, 1966 H. c. SCHLUTER LABELING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledSept. 50, 1963 INVENTOR Ham/G C. M

' M AT SRNEY5 March 1, 1966 H. c. SCHLUTER LABELING MACHINE 3Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 30, 1963 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS arch 1966 H. c.SCHLUTER LABELING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 30, 1965 INVENTORATTORNEY United States Patent 3,238,081 LABELING MAtIli-lllNE Harry C.Schluter, Southhury, Conn, assignor to Minnesota Mining andManufacturing Company, St. Paul, Minn, a corporation of Deiaware FiledSept. 30, 1963, Ser. No. 312,616 6 Claims. (63!. 156351) This inventionrelates generally to a labeling machine of the type generally used toapply a pressure-sensitive label to an article as it passes that portionof the labeling machine which may be termed the labeling station.

The machine is more particularly adapted for applying labels to aplurality of continuously moving articles which consecutively pass thelabeling station. The machine is adapted for dispensing and applyinglabels from a roll comprising a plurality of spaced labels which lightlyadhere to a carrier ribbon.

This machine is an improvement over the machine disclosed and claimed inmy United States Patent No. 2,939,- 599 issued June 7, 1960.Particularly, the instant invention permits the labeling of unevensurfaces, such as bags of fruit, and the labeling of articles ofnon-uniform size. The previously patented machine required adjustmentbefore it could properly label articles of a different size, while inthe instant invention, the applicator portion of the machineautomatically adjusts, within limits, to the size of the article passingthe labeling station and to undulations of the surface. The instantinvention constitutes a further improvement over the machine previouslypatented, with particular reference to the means for controlling thefeeding and dispensing of the labels. As will be evident from acomparison of the patented machine to the machine to be hereafterdescribed, the means for controlling the feeding is less complex,thereby making it less expensive, without sacrificing the accuracy ofcontrol and operation introduced by the mechanisms described and claimedin my previous patent, No. 2,939,599.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide alabeling machine capable of continuously dispensing labels and applyingthem to articles of varying sizes as the articles continuously pass themachine, without requiring adjustment of the machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a label applicator whichautomatically adjusts itself to the size of the article being labeled.

A further object of the invention is to provide a label applicator whichwill apply a label to an undulating surface.

Still another object of the invention is to provide improved means forcommencing and arresting the feeding of labels.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improvedlabeling machine which can be used to apply a label to a surface in anynumber of parallel planes.

Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part beobvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.

Generally speaking, in accordanc with the invention, a label-dispensingmachine is adapted to be positioned proximate to a conveyor or chute orother unit capable of carrying the articles which are to receive thelabels past a labeling station. The applicator portion of the machine ispositioned opposite the conveyor and is adapted to ride over thelabel-receiving surface of the article. The applicator is adapted toautomatically adjust itself to the level of the label-receiving surface.Article sensing means sense the arrival of an article at the labelingstation to actuate label-sensing means which effect the commencement oflabel feed. The label-sensing means sense when one label has beendispensed to stop the label-feeding cycle while the applicator appliesthe dispensed label to the article.

The cycle commences again when the article-sensing means indicates thatthe next article has arrived at the labeling station.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction,combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts which will beexemplified in the constructions hereinafter set forth, and the scope ofthe invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is had to thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a machine constructed in accordancewith a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial front elevational view of the machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partial view similar to FIG. 3 showing alternate articlesensing means;

FIG. 5 is a partial elevational view showing alternate applicatorsupport means;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged elevational view of the label sensing means shownin FIG. 1, with the cover plate removed; and

FIG. 7 is a simplified schematic diagram of the electric circuit of themachine.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, a typical installation is shown wherein aconveyor 11 is mounted on a base 12 for continuously carrying articles13 (shown in phantom) past the labeling station. Any suitable means maybe provided for driving the conveyor with the top surface thereof beingdriven in the direction of the arrow indicated in FIG. 1. If desired,suitable guides 1 1 may be mounted to base 12 to guide the articles asthey travel on the conveyor. An article-sensing arm 15 is pivotallymounted to base 12 and the outer end thereof extends over andsubstantially parallel to the conveying surface of conveyor 11. A cam 16is mounted fast on arm 15 for rotation therewith. A normallyopen-normally closed switch 17 is mounted to base 12 with its actuatingbutton 18 disposed opposite the surface of cam 16 for actuation thereby.It will thus be seen that articles carried by the conveyor willconsecutively engage arm 15, thereby rotating it and the cam mountedthereon to actuate switch 17 during the time that arm 15 is deflected byand in engagement with an article. Spring-biased means (not shown) maybe provided to return arm 15 to its normal position projecting over theconveyor when the arm is not in contact with one of the articles.

A support 21 is mounted to base 12 and carries a support arm 22 forsupporting the labeling machine. A machine frame 23 may be provided witha suitable clamp 24 for securing the frame of the machine to support arm22 so that the labeling machine is positioned over the conveyor, abovethe articles transported thereon.

A pair of spaced parallel plates 25 are pivoted to the machine frame at26 for carrying the roll of labels. The pivotally mounted plates provideeasy access for the loading of a roll of labels. A typical roll oflabels 27 is mounted between plates 25 on a pivot rod 28. As indicatedpreviously, the roll consists of a carrier ribbon with a plurality oflabels lightly adherent to one surface thereof. The labels arepreferably oriented in end-to-end relationship and are slightly spacedone from another. The carrier ribbon 29 is trained down between plates25. A roll 31 is pivotally mounted between the lowermost ends of plates25 extending transversely to the carrier ribbon and parallel to thepivot rod on which the roll of labels is mounted. An inclined uppershelf 32 forming a label receiving trackway is carried by the machineframe and is adapted for receiving the carrier ribbon thereon. Plates 25with the roll of labels mounted therebetween, will tend to rotate in acounterclockwise direction about pivot 26 thereby urging roll 31 intocontact with the upper surface of inclined shelf 32. As may be seen inFIG. 1, the carrier ribbon and the labels pass between inclined shelf 32and roll 31 to maintain a slight tension on the carrier ribbon. In theevent that the labeling machine is mounted in a plane whereby gravitywould not urge roll 31 in contact with inclined shelf 32, as will bediscussed hereafter, springbiased means may be provided acting betweenplates 25 and machine frame 23 to resiliently urge roll 31 into contactwith the inclined shelf. It should be noted that the underside of thecarrier ribbon engages the upper surface of the inclined shelf with thegummed side of the labels adhering to the upper surface of the carrierribbon. This places uppermost, the printed surface of the labels.

A bracket 35 having an elongated slot 36 parallel to the inclined shelfis mounted to machine frame 23 and carries thereon label-sensing meansindicated generally at 37.

As best shown in FIG. 3, a swingable lower shelf 41 forming a lowertrackway is hinged by means of a hinge 42 to the lower end of inclinedshelf 32 to provide further support for carrier ribbon 29 and the labels30. The labels are more clearly shown in FIG. 3. A guide arm 44 extendsalong and is attached to swingable shelf 41. A cut-out may be providedin the upper surface at the lower end of shelf 41 in which may bemounted a plate 45. Plate 45 may be adjusted longitudinally to provideadjustment of the length of the lower guiding surface and may beadjusted obliquely to adjust the position of its lower edge relative tothe longitudinal axis of the swingable shelf to thereby provide meansfor adjusting the position of the terminal edge of the lower shelf. Ablock 46 carrying a resilent stop member 47 is mounted to the lowersurface of and in spaced relation to inclined shelf 32 at the lower endthereof and is adapted to be engaged by arm 44 to limit the freecounterclockwise rotation of swingable shelf 41. A transverse guide rod48 is carried by the block 46. Carrier ribbon 29 extends around thelower end of swingable shelf 41 and plate 45 and passes over guide rod48.

Referring again to FIG. 1, a drive wheel 51 is rotatably mounted inframe 23 and is adapted to be driven through a drive belt 53, by a motor52 carried by the machine frame. A take-up reel 54 is also rotatablymounted in the machine frame and is driven by drive belt 53 through asuitable slip clutch (not shown). A clutching mechanism indicatedgenerally at 55 is adapted to resiliently engage the drive wheel 51 tohold the carrier ribbon against the surface of the drive wheel for thefeeding of the carrier ribbon. The clutching mechanism 55 may besubstantially the same as that described in aforesaid Patent 2,939,599.No further description thereof is deemed necessary. As seen in FIG. 1,the carrier ribbon passes from drive wheel 51 to take-up reel 54.

Referring again to FIGS. 1-3, a bracket 56 is pivoted to guide arm 44 asat 57 and is provided with a pair of outwardly extending arms 58 betweenwhich is journalled for free rotation an applicator wheel 59. Theapplicator wheel may have the finned surface configuration shown in FIG.2. Applicator Wheel 59 could also have the configuration of a continuouscylindrical surface. The preferred surface configuration and thematerial from which the applicator wheel is constructed will preferablybe chosen with regard to the parameters of the label material and theparameters of the articles to which the labels will be applied. Anadditional arm 61 is provided on bracket 56 and carries an adjustingscrew 62 passing through an arcuate slot 63 in guide arm 44. Theposition of applicator wheel 59 with relation to the surface of plate 45may thereby be adjusted. Alternately, a rockable shoe (not shown) couldbe substituted for the 4 applicator wheel. The shoe would, in effect,iron a label onto the label-receiving surface of the article.

Referring now to FIG. 6, label-sensing means 37 is shown in a channel 66in bracket 35. A screw 67 passes through slot 36 and threadedly engagesback plate 65. In this manner, label-sensing means 37 can be adjustedlongitudinally with relation to inclined shelf 32. The back plate isguided by channel 66 and is secured in any adjusted position by means ofscrew 67. This adjustment is necessary to permit utilization of thelabeling machine with labels of different length. As shown in FIGS. 1and 6, back plate 65 is positioned above inclined shelf 32 and the lowerend thereof carries a shelf 68 which overlies the inclined shelf. Shelf68 is spaced from inclined shelf 32 to permit the labels to passtherebetween.

A oarrier 71 is pivoted to back plate 65 through a pivot pin 72 so thatthe carrier may freely pivot with respect to the back plate. A solenoid73 is mounted to back plate 65 and the outer end of the armature 74 ofthe solenoid is pivoted to carrier 71 as at 75. A spring 76 is attachedat one end to carrier 71 and at the other end to the back plate. It willbe noted that withdrawal of the armature into the solenoid tends tocause carrier 71 to rotate in a clockwise direction about pivot pin 72while spring 76 urges the carrier in the counterclockwise direction. Ifdesired, means may be provided to adjust the tension on spring 76.Carrier 71 is provided with an elongated channel 77 extending the entirelength of the carrier and substantially parallel to the upper surface ofinclined shelf 32. Peeler means in the form of a slide 78 and adepending hook 79 is adapted to be freely received in channel 77, withhook 79 extending toward the surface of inclined shelf 32. The upperedge of slide 78 is provided with a cam surface 81 adapted to be engagedby the actuating lever 82 of a switch 83 mounted to the carrier. Anelongated slot 84 extends through carrier 71 within channel 77 and a pin85 mounted fast in slide 7 8 extends through slot 84. One end of aspring 86 is mounted to pin 85 while the other end is attached to thecarrier, thereby providing means for urging slide 78 to slide rearwardlyin the carrier channel in a direction opposite the direction of travelof the labels as they are dispensed.

The various electrical components heretofore described may be arrangedin a circuit shown schematically in FIG. 7. A power source such as voltsA.C. is connected to several parallel paths. In the first parallel patha-i, switch 83 is connected in series with motor 52, thereby providingfor operation of the motor upon the closing of switch 83. In the nextparallel path, b-h, solenoid 73 is connected in series with a relaycontact Re. The next parallel path comprises two alternate branch paths,c-f-g and de-g. The path d-e-g comprises in series a rectifier 87,switch 17 and a capaoitor 88. Switch 17 has a normally open and anormally closed position which will be reversed upon actuation of theswitch. Its normal rest position is as shown in FIG. 7. With switch 17in its normal position, the path d-eg will cause capacitor 88 to chargedue to the application of a pulsating direct current thereacross as aresult of the series-connected rectifier 87. Upon the actuation ofswitch 17, the circuit will be completed through the path c-f-g, therebyplacing a relay R in series with switch 17 and capacitor 88. As will beunderstood, the completion of the circuit through c-fg will causecapacitor 88 to discharge through the relay thereby actuating the relayfor the time during which the capacitor is discharging. Actuation ofrelay R will, of course, close contact Rc in the path b-lz.

Wit-h particular reference to FIGS. 1 through 3, 6 and 7, the operationof a labeling machine may now be described. Plates 25 are rotated in aclockwise direction about pivot 26 for loading a roll of labels 27 onpivot rod 28. The carrier ribbon 29 with the labels 3% thereon is fedalong the upper surface of inclined shelf 32 and plates are rotatedcounterclockwise so that the carrier ribbon is engaged by roll 31. Thecarrier ribbon is fed along inclined shelf 32 and between the inclinedshelf and shelf 68 on the label'sensing means. Thereafter, the carrierribbon passes over swingable shelf 41 and plate 45 and is bent aroundthe lower edge of the plate 45. The carrier ribbon is thereafter passedover guide rod 48 and around drive wheel 51 where it is held against thedrive wheel by clutching mechanism 55. The end of the carrier ribbon iswound around take-up reel 54 and the machine is now ready for operation.

As previously described in connection with FIG. 7, when power is appliedto the machine, capacitor 88 will be charged through the normal positionof switch 17. As an article 13 travels along conveyor 11, the leadingedge will be engaged by applicator wheel 59 which will freely roll overthe surface. As may be seen in FIG. 1, the weight of the applicatorwheel will cause it to swing down in a clockwise direction to itslowermost position which occurs when guide arm 44 engages stop member47. Articles having their top surface higher than the lowermost positionof applicator wheel 59 will first cause the article to contact guide arm44 and then cause the applicator wheel to ride up on to the top surfaceof the article, thereby rotating the swingable elements in acounterclockwise direction about hinge 42. The contact of guide arm 44prevents the article from striking carrier ribbon 29 on the underside ofplate 45 and shelf 41. As article 13 continues to move, it will strikeand rotate the article-sensing arm 15 thereby causing rotation of cam 16and actuation of switch 17 through the actuating button. Referringspecifically to FIG. 7, switch 17 will thereby be moved to open thecircuit through the path d-eg and close the circuit through the pathcf-g. This causes capacitor 88 to discharge through relay R, therebyactuating the relay and closing the contact R0 in path bh.

Referring now to FIG. 6, in the normal position of the label-sensingmeans, hook 79 closely approaches the upper surface of carrier ribbon 29and is in interference with the leading edge of a label 39. Uponactuation of solenoid 73 due to the closing of contact Rc, armature 74is drawn into the solenoid thereby rotating carrier 71 about pivot 72and raising hook 79 from its interference p0sition with the edge of alabel to a label-freeing position. The freeing of hook 79 by thesolenoid and carrier lifter means allows slide 78 to move rearwardly orto the right under the urging of spring 86. The movement of slide 78 tothe rear occurs upon the instantaneous energization of solenoid 73.However, the solenoid will be immediately de-energized because of theparameters of the circuit. In other words, relay R will be actuated toclose the contacts Rc only during the time required for discharge ofcapacitor 88. Thus, de-energization of the solenoid will permit carrier71 to be rocked counterclockwise under the urging of spring 76 whichbiases the hook into a label-interfering position and, thus, hook 79 mayglide along the upper surface of a label 39 as it continues its rearwardtravel under the urging of spring 86. As slide 78 approaches itsrearward position, actuating lever 82 will engage cam surface 81,thereby actuating switch 83 to close the circuit through path a-i (FIG.7) and actuate motor 52. The actuation of motor 52 will cause thecarrier ribbon to be fed along the swingable shelf and the inclinedshelf. As the carrier ribbon feeds around the lower end of plate 45, thesharp end in the carrier ribbon will cause the label to break loose fromthe carrier ribbon since, as is known in the art, the labels will tendto travel in a straight line rather than follow the sharp bend of thecarrier ribbon. The ribbon will be driven through drive wheel 51 andtape-up is provided by takeup reel 54.

As shown in FIG. 3, the label 30 will be fed down into contact with thesurface of the article to be labeled and the continuing movement of thearticle will cause applicator wheel 59 to roll the label on to thearticles surface. Since applicator wheel 59 freely rotates in its pivotsand since the entire swingable applicator arm can pivot about hinge 42,it will be understood that undulations in the surface of article 13 willnot prevent the applicator wheel from rolling the label onto thearticle. In fact, this preferred embodiment of the labeling machine hasbeen successfully operated to apply labels to bags containing fruit,vegetables, and the like.

When the trailing edge of a label passes from beneath hook 79, the hookwill move closer to the surface of carrier ribbon 29 under the urging ofspring 76 and, when the leading edge of the next label arrives, hook 79will engage that edge of the label. Even though the solenoid is nolonger energized, motor 52 will continue to operate due to the fact thatthe state of switch 83 is dependent upon the position of the cam surface81 of slide 78 and not upon the state of solenoid 73. After hook 79engages the leading edge of a new label 30, continued movement of thelabel will pull slide 78 forward or to the left as shown in FIG. 6,thereby moving cam surface 81 out of engagement with actuating lever 82to open switch 83, thereby breaking the circuit through path ai andstopping the motor. Motor 52 is preferably of a synchronous type andsuitable reduction gearing will assure that substantially instantaneousstoppage of the motor is attained when the circuit is broken. By meansof the label, slide 78 will be returned to its normal position which isthe position shown in FIG. 6, and the label-sensing means will be setfor commencement of the next cycle.

It will, of course, be understood that the particular labels engaged byhook 79 for controlling the operation of a particular cycle aresubstantially upstream of the actual label being applied to the article.However, since all labels on the particular roll are of the same size,control of the length of feed by labels upstream will assure the properamount of feed to dispense one label at the labeling station. It shouldalso be noted that any skew or misalignment of the carrier ribbon duringits travel through the machine can be corrected by oblique adjustment ofplate 45 relative to the swingable shelf. In other words, adjustment ofthe lower edge of plate 45 about which the carrier ribbon sharply bends,will determine the alignment of the carrier ribbon on the swingableshelf and on the inclined shelf. Also, the proper positioning of hook 79relative to the leading edge of the label must be adjusted with relationto the position of a label at the labeling station. Since this willvary, dependent upon the length of labels being used in any particularoperation, the entire label-sensing means 37 may be adjustedlongitudinally with respect to the labels through screw 67 and elongatedslot 36.

During the time that article 13 is at the labeling station,article-sensing arm 15 will continually engage the article, therebyholding switch 17 in the position to close the circuit through pathcf-g. This, of course, will not affect the relay once capacitor 88 hasdischarged therethrough. As soon as the labeled article leaves thelabeling station, article-sensing arm 15 will be returned to its normalposition over the conveyor thereby returning switch 17 to its normalposition shown in FIG. 7. When the switch returns to its normalposition, capacitor 88 will once again be charged and thus ready themachine for the next labeling operation. When the next article arrives,switch 17 will be actuated and the cycle will repeat. In this manner, itwill readily be seen that continuous operation is thereby attained andlabels will be consecutively applied to the articles as long as thearticles are continuously carried past the labeling station.

Alternate article-sensing means are shown in FIG. 4. Rather thanposition the article-sensing means on the base 12 as shown in FIG. 2,the article-sensing means may be carried by guide arm 44. In thisalternate construction, an arm 91 is adjustably attached to guide arm 44and carries a switch 92 mounted to the outer end thereof. A feeler 93 iscarried by switch 92 and is adapted to actuate the switch by contactwith button 94. In other words, as an article 13 approaches the labelingstation, feeler 93 will engage the edge of the article and be deflectedupwardly to depress button 94, thereby operating switch 92. Switch 92performs the exact same functions as the previously described switch 17and therefore the operation of the machine will be identical. By meansof the adjustment of arm 91, control is provided over the positioning ofthe label on the article.

It may be desired to operate the labeling machine in such a plane thatthe swingable shelf will not be moved into contact with the articles bymeans of its own weight. In such an instance a modified construction asshown in FIG. may be utilized. An arm 95 is mounted at one end tobracket 35. Through an aperture 96 in the other end of the arm, passes arod 97 pivoted at one end to guide arm 44. A collar 98 may be secured torod 97 near the pivot of the rod to guide arm 44 and a compressionspring 99 encircles rod 97 acting between collar 98 and arm 95.Compression spring 99 thereby urges the applicator arm in acounterclockwise direction about hinge 42, thereby urging the applicatorwheel 59 into contact with the article regardless of the plane ofoperation of the machine. In such an application, the spring indicatedas 102 may be omitted.

However, in some applications, it may be that the weight of theapplicator wheel and the arm could damage the articles to which thelabels are being applied. In such a situation, a collar 101 would beattached to the outer or free end of rod 97 and a compression spring 102would encircle rod 97 acting between collar 101 and arm 95. Compressionspring 102 would resiliently urge the applicator arm in the clockwisedirection, thereby counteracting the weight of the arm to relieve atleast some of the pressure applied to delicate articles. In this latterapplication, spring 99 may be omitted.

In other applications, it may be desirable to hold the applicator arm inan equilibrium position which would assure positive contact of theapplicator wheel with the article and would also control the amount ofpressure applied to the article. In such a case, both springs 99 and 102would be utilized as shown in FIG. 5. Means could be further providedfor adjusting the tension of either one of the springs, or both.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those madeapparent from the preceding description are efiiciently attained and,since certain changes may be made in the above constructions withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intendedthat all matter contained in the above description or shown in theaccompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended tocover all of the generic and specific features of the invention hereindescribed, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as amatter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

What is claimed is:

1. A labeling machine for dispensing a label from a roll of labelssequentially arranged on a carrier strip and applying the label to anarticle as the article reaches a predetermined labeling station,comprising:

(a) means for feeding articles to be labeled past the labeling station,

(b) means for sensing the arrival of an article at the labeling station,

(c) guide means for receiving and guiding labels toward the labelingstation,

((1) means responsive to said article-sensing means and controlled bylabels on said guide means for dispensing a single label from themachine, and

(e) applicator means for receiving and applying a dispensed labelpivoted to said guide means for free movement toward and from saidarticle-feeding means, whereby articles approaching the labeling stationcontact said applicator means to cause said applicator means to adjustitself about its pivot to the level of the surface to be labeled.

2. A labeling machine in combination with means for feeding articles tobe labeled past a labeling station, said labeling machine comprising:

(a) a frame disposed opposite the article-feeding means,

(b) a roll of labels sequentially arranged on a carrier strip,

(c) means rotatably supporting said roll of labels in said frame,

(d) an upper shelf carried by said frame,

(e) label-sensing means carried by said frame proximate to said uppershelf,

(f) a lower shelf pivotally connected to said upper shelf, said lowershelf having a leading edge,

(g) feed means carried by said frame,

(1) said carrier ribbon adapted to be drawn over said upper shelf andsaid lower shelf and around the leading edge of said lower shelf by saidfeed means,

(h) an applicator mounted to said lower shelf,

(1) said applicator, through the pivotal connection of said lower shelfto said upper shelf, adapted to automatically adjust itself to the levelof the surface of the article to be labeled and traverse the surface asthe article passes the labeling station, and

(i) article-sensing means responsive to the arrival of an article at thelabeling station,

(1) said article-sensing means adapted to control the operation of saidlabel-sensing means for commencing operation of said feed means, saidlabel-sensing means adapted to cease operation of said feed means uponthe dispensing of a single label,

whereby a single label is dispensed at the leading edge of said lowershelf and applied to a surface of the article by said applicator.

3. In a labeling machine of the type for dispensing a label from a rollconsisting of a plurality of labels adherent to a carrier strip andapplying the label to a surface of an article, the improvementcomprising, a lower trackway for guiding the carrier strip toward thearticle, means being provided on said lower trackway for sharply bendingthe carrier strip for freeing a label from the strip, means swingablymounting said lower trackway to the labeling machine to permit freedeflection of said lower trackway by the article to be labeled, and anapplicator on said lower trackway proximate to the freed label wherebythe lower trackway and applicator automatically adjusts its level to thesurface receiving the label.

4. Means in combination with the label-receiving trackway of a labelingmachine comprising, a hinge extending transversely to the line of travelof the labels along the label-receiving trackway, said hinge beinglocated at the terminal edge of the label-receiving trackway, a lowertrackway swingably attached to the label-receiving trackway through saidhinge, said lower trackway forming a continuous path with thelabel-receiving trackway for the travel of labels thereover, means atthe terminal edge of said lower trackway for freely dispensing thelabels, and an applicator mounted to said lower trackway proximate tothe terminal edge thereof, said applicator adapted to overlie the labelsas they are dispensed from the machine into contact with an article.

5. The structure defined in claim 4 and further including spring-biasedmeans acting on said lower trackway to urge said applicator into contactwith the article being labeled. t

6. The structure defined in claim 4 and further in- 9 eludingspring-biased means acting on said applicator to reduce the pressureapplied to the article by said applicator.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,378,112 3/1945Tuthill et a1 156--552 2,613,008 10/1952 Ouellette 156-566 2,703,660 3/1955' Von Hofe et a1 15 6-499 2,920,780 1/1960 Haus child et a1 156-461FOREIGN PATENTS 613,863 12/1960 Italy.

EARL M. BERGERT, Primary Examiner.

HAROLD ANSI-IER, Examiner.

1. A LABELING MACHINE FOR DISPENSING A LABEL FROM A ROLL OF LABELSSEQUENTIALLLY ARRANGED ON A CARRIER STRIP AND APPLYING THE LABEL TO ANARTICLE AS THE ARTICLE REACHES A PREDETERMINED LABELING STATION,COMPRISING: (A) MEANS FOR FEEDING ARTICLES TO BE LABELED PAST THELABELING STATION, (B) MEANS FOR SENSING THE ARRIVAL OF AN ARTICLE AT THELABELING STATION, (C) GUIDE MEANS FOR RECEIVING AND GUIDING LABLESTOWARD THE LABELING STATION, (D) MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAIDARTICLE-SENSING MEANS AND CONTROLLED BY LABELS ON SAID GUIDE MEANS FORDISPENSING A SINGLE LABEL FROM THE MACHINE, AND (E) APPLICATOR MEANS FORRECEIVING AND APPLYING A DISPENSED LABEL PIVOTED TO SAID GUIDE MEANS FORFREE MOVEMENT TOWARD AND FROM SAID ARTICLE-FEEDING MEANS, WHEREBYARTICLES APPROACHING THE LABELING STATION CONTACT SAID APPLICATOR MEANSTO CAUSE SAID APPLICATOR MEANS TO ADJUST ITSELF ABOUT ITS PIVOT TO THELEVEL OF THE SURFACE TO BE LABELED.